Cement-block machine.



E. A. SWITZER.

CEMENT BLOCK MACHINE.

APPLIGATION IILED NOV. 30, 1912.

1,077,376. Patented Nov. 4, 1913.

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E. A. SWITZER.

CEMENT BLOCK MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 30, 1912.

Patented Nov. 4, 1913.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

COLUMBIA PLAN OfiRAPl-l co WASHINGTON, D. c.

E. A. SWITZER.

CEMENT BLOCK MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.3 0,1912.

Patehted Nov. 4, 1913.

) 7k WW EDMUND A. SWITZER, OF LODI, OHIO.

CEMENT-BLOCK MACHINE.

Specificatlor. of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 30, 1912.

Patented Nov. 4, 1913.

Serial No. 734,340.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, EDMUND A. Swrrznn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lodi, in the county of Medina and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cement-Block Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in cement block machines in which all but very few of the operations are performed mechanically and one in which, if desired, said operations will operate in rotation but, should the occasion present itself, any one of said operations may be stopped by the operator.

The object in view is to provide a machine in which all the heavy work will be per formed mechanically and with despatch.

My invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is an elevation of the machine. Fig. 2 is an end view. Fig. 3 is a detail of the coupling in the plunger rod. Fig. 1 is an enlarged detail of a portion of the plunger operating gear. Fig. 5 is a detail section of the part shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail section of one of the fillers. Fig. 7 is a detail side elevation of one of the platens. Fig. 8 is an end view of the same, and Fig. 9 is a detail edge view of a face plate used in decorating one face of the cement block. Fig. 10 is a sectional view on line 1010 of Fig. 1.

Reference now being had to the details of the drawings by numeral, 1 indicates a horizontal frame and 2 a vertical frame.

3 and 4 are horizontal shafts mounted in either end of the frame 1, said shafts having mounted thereon spools or sprocket wheels over which a continuous chain of platens, with fillers between, travel.

Mounted in the lower part of the frame 2 and extending within the endless platen is a pressure block 4* having extensions 5 and 6 arranged beneath said endless chain. Mounted for vertical adjustment above said endless chain is a mold box 7 supported by links 8 to operating means at the top of the frame, which will be more fully hereinafter described. Slidably mounted in the frame 2 above the mold box is a plunger 9 connected by links 10 to a cross head 11 which in turn is carried by a connecting bar 12 to an operating wheel located at the top of the frame.

The endless chain of platens consists of a series of hollow members 13 and 14 hinged together as shown at 15 and having link connection, as at 16, with a filler l7 and it is also provided at its bottom with a hook 18 intended to engage with one of a series of bars 19, forming the periphery of the sprocket wheel. In Fig. 41 of the drawings, I have shown a face plate, designated by numeral 13*, which forms one wall of the mold box 7. One edge of said platen, as shown at 20, is notched for a purpose that will later appear.

The pressure block 43 is slidably mounted on vertical rods 21, said rods having a plate 22 supported on bolts 23. Between said plate 22 and the bottom of the pressure block 1* are springs 2 1 which provide a yielding resistance of said pressure block, which yielding will provide against fracture of parts to avoid breakage.

The mold box is provided with an aperture 25 in which the cement block is formed, the material being placed therein, after which the plunger 9 is lowered and said block is formed under heavy pressure. To provide against breakage of parts of the plunger, the rod 12 is made in two parts and, as shown at 12 and 12 is provided with a tooth formation in which corresponding teeth of plates 12 engage and are held together by rods 12 having nuts at their ends with springs interposed between said nuts and the plate 12, which will permit of a slight movement of the parts of the rod 12 toward each other, said toothed members sliding on each other, thereby compressing the springs and preventing the fracture of said rod 12. Anti-friction rollers 11 are provided on the crosshead 11 to contact with the frame and facilitate itsoperation.

At the lower part of frame 1 and arranged to lie beneath the endless chain of platens as they proceed around to the lower part of the sprocket wheel is a plate 26 so located that the hinged member of the platen will be held in its normal position and not permitted to swing down on its way around toward another operation. The mold box 7 is provided With ears 7 in which a rod forming a part of the operating link 8 is located on which is mounted a spring 7, which is arranged between the upper one of said ears 7 and a stop 7 on said rod. This, as will be evident, will per mit of some give to the mold box, should it strike anything on its way down to the position shown in Fig. 1.

Located at the top of the frame 2 is the power shaft 27 provided atone end with a fly wheel 28 and at the other with a belt wheel 29. A pinion 30 is located on said shaft andis in mesh with a gear 31 mounted on a shaft 32, which latter is mounted in the frame and carries at its other end a bevel gear Said bevel gear meshes with a bevel gear 34 mounted on a shaft 35 which carries a bet e136 in mesh with a bevel gear 38, mounted on a vertical shaft 38 on the frame 2 and extending down and having a bevel 39 at its lower end in mesh with a bevel 40 mounted upon a shaft 41. Said shaft 41 is mounted in the lower frame 1 and carries a gear 42 meshing with a train of gearswhich impart motion to a gear 43 mounted upon the shaft 4 of the endless chain mechanism for giving same its movement. The bevel 39 is splined to the shaft 38, permitting a slight vertical movement thereto, and the lever 40 is arranged to lift said bevel 39 out of engagement with the bevel 40, thereby stopping the operation of the endless chain.

Mounted on the shaft 32 are two pinions 44 which mesh with gears 4-5 mounted on a cross shaft 46. Said gears 45 carry a pin 47 on which is mounted the upper end of the rod 12. It will, of course, be understood that the shaft 46 is interrupted or is composed of two stub shafts, thus permitting the pivot of the rod 12 to proceed a complete cycle. The last mentioned parts will give an up and down movement to the plunger 9.

By reference to Figs. 4 and 5, it will be noted that a lever 45*, mounted on the frame 45", is located to come in contact with an anti-friction roller 45, mounted on a sliding tooth 45, said tooth forming one of the teeth in the periphery of said wheel 45. Said tooth member 45 lies in a seat 45 and is reduced, as shown at 45, and is provided with a notch 45 at said reduced portion. A plate 45 is secured in a position to form a stop for each end of a coiled spring 45, arranged around the reduced portion of said toothed member and between which and the notch 45 said spring is located, said spring normally holding the toothed member withdrawn. The lever 45" is provided with a rod 45 which is attached to a bell crank 45 which in turn is connected by link 45 to a bell crank 45 and thence to a hand lever 45. Thus it will be seen that, when it is desired to stop the operation of the plunger, it will only be necessary to withdraw the ;which control the up sliding tooth which permits the pinion 44 to revolve without carrying the gear 45 with it. Arranged to one side of the frame in line with the endless chain is a table 48 on which the block, after it has been made, will be deposited.

A weighing and depositing mechanism. is

located to one side of the frame, which consists of a platform 49, from which is deposited the ingredients for a cement block into a receiver 50. Said receiver is mounted by links 51 and 52 to one arm of a scale beam 53, said scale beam being mounted on a vertical post 54. Pivotally mounted on an upright 55 is a tripping lever 56 normally held in a horizontal position by a spring 57 Said tripping lever is provided with pins 58 and 59 located in slots in the arms 51 and 52,said arms 52 being in two parts and pivoted together, as shown at 60. A connecting rod 61, attached to the tripping lever 56 at its upper end and to a bell crank 62 at its lower end, which in turn is connected to a foot lever 63, affords means for lowering the outer end of the tripping lever 56 which will throw the receiver 50 over and deposit its contents into the mold box.

By reference to Fig. 9, it will be seen that a plate 64 is provided, an edge view of which is here shown, having a notch 65 at its lower face and an open slot 66 at its upper end. Said plate 64 may be provided at'its face with any desired configuration or decoration to be used in the molding of a block to provide said block with a decorated face, said plate 64 being inserted within the mold boX with the hook end 65 in engagement with the notch 20 of the platen, so that said plate (34, when the mold box is elevated, will be retained with the cement block on the platen and not be raised with the mold box, which would strip the face of the block by the upper movement of the plate, a pin 67 being provided in the mold boX to steady the upi i per end of the plate 64.

On the end of the shaft 35 is mounted a gear 68 in mesh with a gear 69 mounted on the shaft 70 which carries at its opposite end a crank disk 71. On said gear 69 and crank disk 71 are mounted the links 8 and down movement of the mold boX, and a clutch mechanism 72 is provided to break the connection between the shaft 35 and gear 68 to stop the operation of the mold box if it is so desired.

The operation is as follows: A portion of the material for a cement block is deposited in the measuring or receiving tray 50 and, when the desired amount is placed therein, it is indicated by the scale mechanism, at which time the lever 63 is operated to deposit said ingredients into the mold box.

The core is then placed and a similar operation is repeated to deposit the balance of the 1 i materialto complete the block into the mold.

The lever is then actuated to cause the wheel 45 to engage gear 44, thereby adjusting the parts to cause a revolution to be imparted to the wheel which will, through the medium of the sectional connecting bars 12, cause the plunger to be forced down in the mold to compress the material therein and return to its starting position. After pressure is relieved from the lever 45 the spring 45 will cause the member 45 to return to its starting position and out of the path of the pinion wheel 44, thus causing the wheel 45 to be at rest. After the block has been molded and the plunger returned to its highest posit-ion, the mold will be raised by the means 71 which have connections therewith through the medium of the bars 8. The endless conveyer, which has been at rest while the block has been molded, will be put in motion by the operator throwing the vertical shaft 38' downward through the medium of the lever 40, so that the train of gears which actuate the endless carrier will be thrown into communication with the gear wheel 36 upon the shaft 35. When the endless carrier has traveled a certain distance in order that the block, which has been molded, will be clear of the mold and the apparatus is in posit-ion to receive material for the formation of another block, the operator by tilting the lever 40 may throw the endless carrier out of gear and the same operation may be repeated for the formation of another block. The mold block which, at this step of the operation, rests upon one of the platens to the left of the mold blocks, may be deposited upon the table of the machine by tilting the upper hinged portion 13 laterally. By the provision of the means shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings, in the event of there being any resistance to the plunger in the compression of the formation of the block, it will be noted that the spring-pressed pieces 12, by reason of the serrations upon the inner edges thereof coming in contact with similar shaped serrations upon the sections 12, will yield laterally and allow the sections 12 to move toward each other and, after the pressure is released from the sections 12, the parts will be returned by the springs 12 to their normal positions. In the event of it being desired to form an ornamental face to the block, the platen member 64:, shown in Fig. 9 of the drawings, is adjusted with its lower scalloped end in engagement with the recess 20 of the member 13 and held thereby in place while the block is being molded.

What I claim to be new is:

An apparatus for making cement blocks comprising a frame, an endless carrier made up of pivotal plates hinged together and spaced apart, one section of each plate having a recessed end, a platen detachably held in said recess, a mold within which said platen is niovably contained, a plunger within the mold, and means for intermittently operating said plunger and mold, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

EDMUND A. SWITZER.

Witnesses:

HARRY MATTBnws, L. A. SEELEY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

